Last-Minute Red-Hot Dinners

Wicked Wedge's Kelci Norton created a pizza called True Love.

Photograph by: Jenelle Schneider, Calgary Herald
, Calgary Herald

There's only one more sleep until Valentine's Day and, let's face it, if you haven't made a dinner reservation by now, you're probably out of luck, especially if your place of choice is one of the city's trendy hot spots.

Don't panic. Don't despair. Do get organized -- fast. Stop by your nearest grocery store and pick up a few ingredients. Then head home and whip up a tasty feast for you and your sweetheart to share.

Valentine's Day isn't the time to try something wild and wacky, he says. It's more about creating special, yet comforting dishes for the one (or ones) you love.

"It's a Hallmark holiday," Conley says.

"When people are celebrating those special holidays, they're less susceptible to surprise. They want food that's interesting, but not too 'out there.' "

With that in mind, think chocolate, chicken, pasta or pizza -- delicious, warming food that can easily be shared -- when you're coming up with your lovers' day dinner menu.

That's how Conley came up with his Passionfruit-Roasted Chicken recipe; you can pick up an order this week at Red Tree's Kensington location, or try making it at home. The dish, which features pineapple, passionfruit juice and jalapenos, is guaranteed to raise the temperature in your, ahem, kitchen.

And Conley and the rest of the Red Tree team have continued that theme with dessert, too. The Chocolate Diablo is as it sounds, a devilishly good chocolate cake with a hint of allspice, pepper and chilies.

"Sweet and heat are a good combination for Valentine's Day," Conley says with a laugh.

Indeed, when it comes to dessert, chocolate is always popular, of course. But if that seems too predictable, consider pavlova, says Calgary cookbook author and TV host Julie Van Rosendaal.

The pretty meringue, whipped cream and fruit dessert is one of her husband's favourites, she says.

"It's rather sexy," she says. "And it's easy, really, but special enough that it seems fancy and not the sort of thing you'd have every day . . . and not too heavy to prevent a romp afterwards."

Or so time-consuming that you'll spend all night in the kitchen. After all, it can be fun to prepare and share a feast on Valentine's Day.

But don't forget to spend quality time with your sweetheart.

After all, no one -- not even a professional chef -- wants to spend the entire night in the kitchen cooking or washing dishes.

In fact, both Conley and Red Tree co-owner Aaron Creurer say they'll likely pack up some leftovers from the shop for their own Valentine dinners with loved ones.

"It's better than going out," says Creurer.

"It's a romantic holiday when you're supposed to connect with someone you love."

sboettcher@theherald.canwest.com

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Don't have time to cook? Not even a quick dinner? Here are some delicious gourmet "cheater" options for V-Day :

"It's a vegetarian pizza, so everyone can have a slice of true love," says Norton. "And, well, who doesn't want a slice of true love? It just sounds very appetizing."

- You're too late to order the takeaway Valentine dinner from The Main Dish (903 General Ave. N.E.), but staff are still taking reservations for sit-down Valentine dinners on Feb. 14 and 16. And you can always call or stop by the Bridgeland store, as you'll still find plenty of tasty options (such as beef tenderloin or creme brulee cheesecake) to pick up and reheat at home. Check out tmdish.com or call 265-DISH (3474) for more information.

- Does your sweetheart have a cold this Valentine's Day? Make him or her feel better with a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup from Forage Farm to Fork Foods to Go (3508 19th St. S.W., 269-6551). Or go for the chicken pot pie or bison stew. For dessert, pick up a hearty slab of carrot cake with cream cheese icing. It's so good, you won't even notice that it doesn't contain chocolate.

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Passionfruit-Roasted Chicken

This recipe comes from Greg Conley and Aaron Creurer at Red Tree Catering. Look for pink peppercorns at gourmet food stores around the city, including the Cookbook Co. Cooks and Lina's Italian Market.

2 chicken breasts with skin on

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp (25 mL) butter

1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, chopped finely

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely

1/4 cup (50 mL) white wine

1/2 ripe mango, chopped into 1/4-in (6 mm) pieces

1 ripe Roma tomato

1 cup (250 mL) passionfruit juice

1 tbsp (15 mL) salt

1 tbsp (15 mL) pink peppercorns

2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped basil

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Lightly season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Over medium heat in a frying pan, combine 2 tbsp (25 mL) butter and 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil. Let melt and then place chicken breast, skin side down, in pan and saute for about 5 minutes on each side or until chicken breast is nicely brown.

Transfer chicken to a baking sheet and bake until done, 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, make the sauce in the same frying pan. Saute garlic and jalapeno for about 1 minute just to soften. Add white wine and remainder of ingredients and simmer for 3 minutes.

Place each chicken breast on plate, and top with sauce.

Serves 2.

Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova

Depending on how much time you have to cook on Valentine's Day, you may have to start this dessert today. Make the meringue base, which will take a while to cook. Assembly, though, will only take a few minutes, and can be done just before serving.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cocoa and vinegar, and the chopped chocolate. Then gently fold everything until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in.

Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle about 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter, smoothing the sides and the top. Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 300°F (150°C), and cook for about one hour to one hour and 15 minutes. When it's ready, it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the centre, you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly and let the chocolate meringue disc cool completely.

When you're ready to serve, invert onto a big flat-bottomed plate. Whisk the cream until thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter over the raspberries. Coarsely grate the chocolate so that you get curls rather than rubble, as you don't want the raspberries' luscious colour and form to be obscured, and sprinkle haphazardly over the top, letting some fall, as it will, on the plate's rim.

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